Killer Nightmares
by DreamDevourer
Summary: She appeared out of nowhere. Kakashi stumbled back a few steps as he watched Sakura wrap her arms Sasuke’s waist from behind. Her lips brushed the young man’s neck. “Kill them all Sasuke-kun," she said with a devious look.chap1. sasxsak
1. Kakashi

_Disclaimer:_ I most definitley do not own Naruto.

_Summary:_ Something had to be wrong when you start having dreams of killing your teammates—your best friends. Haruno Sakura started to believe she was going crazy when she dreamt of herself brutally killing Sasuke, and then Naruto, and Kakashi. Her craziness grew when her dreams started to venture into her waking life, where she nearly killed them. And the only way to end her killer nightmares was to end her life.

_Pairing:_ Implied pairing of Sasuke x Sakura, Naruto x Hinata

_Rating:_ T for language, kissing, and ripping out people's guts...(just kidding!) T because I like to stay safe.

_This is will be the ongoing story for the oneshot (trailer version) of_ _Sleepless Nights._

* * *

The first time _it_ attacked was two weeks after the A-rank mission was completed.

None of them knew who or what was attacking them through their subconscious.

After disturbing dreams of murdering their teammates, the three ninjas were able to fend off the nightmares.

But there was a fourth ninja, the medic. The weakest in the team.

Haruno Sakura was about to find out just how dangerous it was to fall asleep.

The Killer Nightmares have begun.

* * *

**Killer Nightmares**

_By DreamDevourer_

Chapter One  
_The first attempt was a failure_

Hatake Kakashi removed his headband and placed it neatly beside the Team 7 photograph on the nightstand. His green vest was next to be removed. Folding it in half, he placed it at the foot of the bed. His sandals sat by the nightstand. Not bothering to remove the rest of his ninja uniform, he laid on his bed with his notorious reading book in hand.

The moment he had stepped into his apartment he felt uneasy. He had inspected every inch of his apartment and found nothing out of the ordinary. All of his possessions were as they were left earlier this morning. He had then checked if any genjutsus were present, but found none.

His instincts told him that something _was _wrong, but he couldn't find anything out of place. So what was bothering him? Maybe he was just tired.

Closing his book, Kakashi took one last cautious glance of his bedroom and then turned the lamp off.

Usually, it would take him hours to fall asleep—hence him always waking up late—but not tonight. The moment his head hit the pillow he fell into a deep sleep.

It didn't feel like he was sleeping but as if he were sleepwalking, only he _was_ aware of what he was doing. Sleepwalkers were never aware of what they were doing, where they were going, nor what they were saying. He, on the other hand, knew exactly where he was going.

He walked on the streets of Konoha that led to the Team 7 training grounds.

It seemed like it was morning, not yet noon. Kakashi strolled through the woods until he came into view of the open field. His students—he still considered the eighteen-year olds students because the term _students _seemed more familiar than the word _colleague_—were already in training combat. The three of them fought against each other as they normally did every morning before they went off to complete their respective duties. But something was _off_.

Why was he feeling uneasy just by watching them? Why was he feeling as if they were strangers? Enemies? How could he even think that _his_ students were his enemy?

"_Traitors…"_

"_All three are traitors."_

"_Attack them!"_

"_Kill them…" _

"_Kill them before they kill you."_

"_Kill them all!"_

Three different male voices spoke one after another. Each angrier than the one before him. Kakashi immediately got into a fighting stance as he glanced around, trying to locate where those voices came from. He saw no one but his three students—all three walking side-by-side towards him.

To the left was his prodigy, the _last_ of the Uchihas, Uchiha Sasuke. His genetically inherited eyes flared crimson. He walked with such pride—an Uchiha's pride.

"_You shouldn't trust a damned Uchiha…"_

"_Never trust one who has been cursed since birth. One who has betrayed his own village. One who has killed his own brother. Never trust someone you cannot control."_

"_Traitors can't be trusted! Traitors need to be killed! Kill him now before he betrays his village again! Kill him before it's too late!" _

Kakashi held his head with both his hands. If he couldn't see them then they were in his head. They were trying to turn him against his team…

His thoughts were disrupted when he saw the Sharingan user call out the technique he taught him when he was thirteen years old. Kakashi wasn't phased by the noise since he was used to the shrieking sound of the Chidori, but that sound should have affected the other two. And yet they weren't. They simply continued to walk towards him as if they were puppets and the puppeteer was in his head.

Walking in the middle was Haruno Sakura, the young girl he hadn't had the opportunity to fully train. How had she grown so fast? She walked with her chin held high, confident of herself. When had she become so stoic? Her hands glowed with chakra and from his experience of seeing her in missions, he knew that getting touched by those glowing hands could very well be the death of him.

"_Just look at her, she can so easily deceive a person…"_

"_She could be a double-ninja for all you know. She could be working for another village__—an enemy of Konoha. She could be planning to secretly assassinate the Hokage."_

"_You know from first hand experience how easily ninjas like her could deceive people around her! Deep inside you know that she is not so innocent, not so trustful! She could kill you in your sleep if she wanted to! Kill her before she has the chance!"_

Why wouldn't these voices stop? Who were they? What did they want with him? He gripped his head, trying to push the thoughts away, trying to keep his sanity.

His uncovered eye squinted as it followed the movements of his third student. The one student he knew, from the very beginning, would excel so highly that he would exceed the powers of Jiraiya, the deceased Legendary Sanin. The student he had his highest hopes for walked towards him with his notable Rasengan swirling in his right hand.

"_He's a demon not a ninja…"_

"_How could you train a demon vessel to become so powerful? How could you hope for a demon vessel to become the Hokage? You should have let him die at the hands of Akatsuki."_

"_He's a demon! Do you think he will be in control of that thing once he's the Hokage!? Do you think that thing inside him will not take advantage of such power that will so freely be handed to him!? He is unstable! Just like the Uchiha, his anger will destroy your village! Kill him before it's too late! Kill him before the demon is released!"_

Kakashi was on his knees, his head still gripped in his hands. It felt like it was about to explode. To have such disturbing notions implanted in his mind was unbearable! Who were _they_ to think that he would harm his students—his family!

He watched wearily as the three young adults finally advanced towards him.

"_Move…"_

"_Attack."_

"_Kill them before they kill you!"_

Kakashi felt his body move against his will and two katanas appeared in his hands out of thin air. He dodged the three attacks with an easy backwards flip. All three hit the ground with their fists. The techniques should have been gone now, but no, they were still on their hands. It only proved that this had to be a dream.

"_KILL THEM!" _All three voices screamed and Kakashi yelled out in anguish as he stabbed himself in the chest with the two katanas.

Blackness clouded his mind.

"_Then watch as they destroy your village…"_

"_Watch as they brutally kill innocent people."_

"_Watch as they wipe out everything you've fought so hard to protect!" _

Kakashi groaned as his eye opened. He scanned his surroundings and found himself on top of the…sixth Hokage's head? Sixth? He looked down at the head that he was standing—Uzumaki Naruto's head.

"_You let him become Hokage…"_

"_Now look at how well he defended his village."_

"_Look at how your students defended your village!"_

Houses were on fire and people were screaming for help. His uncovered eye widened with shock as he saw the source of the fire. The nine-tailed demon could be spotted from a mile away. "Naruto…you couldn't have…you would never," he muttered lowly, hands balled into tight fists. It was a dream.

"_But look at who started this…"_

"_Look at who is controlling that demon."_

"_Just look at how useful the Uchiha's eyes really are!"_

His head turned to the left and his heart nearly stopped beating. Sasuke stood but a yard away from him, his hand stretched outward. His eyes were focused solely on the demon as he muttered incoherent words.

"Sasuke…no, this is a trick…" He gripped his head again, trying so hard to find some reason behind all of this. Why were they trying to turn him against his own team? And not just turn him against them, but kill them!

"_But look who is behind all of this…"_

"_Look at how she uses them."_

"_Just look at how deceiving she really is!"_

She appeared out of nowhere. Kakashi stumbled back a few steps as he watched Sakura wrap her arms Sasuke's waist from behind, and then her head slightly turned to look at him.

Her lips brushed the young man's neck. "Kill them all Sasuke-kun," she said with a devious look while keeping her eyes on Kakashi.

"_It was your fault for not killing them when you had the chance…"_

"_But it's not too late, you can still fix this."_

"_It is your duty to stop them! Your duty to save your village from their hands! You trained them and willed them to become strong, making it your responsibility to kill them! Kill them now before they wake up! Kill them now as they sleep!"_

He was in a room—no it was three rooms joined together. All three rooms had different styles, each style represented his students. One was plain; it held a dresser, a nightstand and a bed where a figure fidgeted in his sleep. The other was a mess; ramen cartons of all sorts sprawled on the floor. Orange colored clothing were discarded by the bed where a figure covered by blankets snored. The last one was neatly ordered. The dresser was labeled: socks and underwear, shirts, pants, and bandages. Unlike the other two, this room had walls that were painted sky blue. And unlike the others, this figure slept quietly and peacefully.

"_She deceives…"_

"_He controls."_

"_He destroys!"_

He grabbed his head and just as he had done earlier, he yelled in anguish. His head throbbed. His hands trembled once a poisoned tipped shuriken appeared in his right hand. He slowly moved to the young man that seemed to be having a nightmare. As he stopped at the beside, he raised his hand over the body. Just as he was about to strike, his eyes caught a glimpse of a picture laying on the nightstand, near it was also the Konoha headband with the slash mark on it. His glance moved to the snoring figure, and on his nightstand was a picture in a black frame and the Konoha headband in front of it. He averted his gaze to the last nightstand where a picture was in a pink framed that was labeled: _family_. The Konoha headband was neatly folded beside the frame.

He stepped away from the bed and stood in the middle of the room, gazing dazedly at his sleeping students. They all had the Team 7 picture. They all head their headbands. They all worked together. They all worked to protect Konoha. They were and will be always together. They would never hurt each other, or anyone else for that matter. They were family. His family.

The shuriken dropped to the floor and with lightening speed, he pulled away his own trademarked headband, to reveal his bloodshot eye. "WAKE UP!" he shouted as his Mangekyo activated.

The room around him spun and he fell into blackness again.

He was on his bed, the bed sheets clutched into his hands. His shirt was drenched with sweat. His normally spiked hair was plastered to his head. He sighed as his trembling hands ran through his wet hair. He pulled down the material that covered his mouth downward under his chin, and without sparing a second, he began searching through his apartment.

He tore down everything, from the walls to the wooden floors, trying to find something that he had missed. There was no way his subconscious had dreamed such things so freely. Someone had been toying with him.

But he found nothing in the apartment.

* * *

"I told you we shouldn't have tried him," said a young man with brown sandy colored hair and dark brown eyes. At twenty-two, he was the youngest of the three.

The two men he was referring to released his hands and moved away from the circle.

"I didn't expect for his mind to be capable of fending us off so easily," the man, in his early thirties, said calmly. He was frustrated that the attempt failed, but he wasn't one to get worked up over something. Out of the three, he was the calmest, the easiest to back out and not go in too deep. But his twin brother was the opposite. The only thing they had in common were their appearances and their loyalty to their master.

"I thought you said he would never be aware that we were in his head, Jirou!" the dark haired, blue eyed man remarked.

The two twins stood facing each other. They were of equal height with the same physical build. They had the same strong cheekbone structure and the same icy blue eyes. Their only difference was their personalities. Jirou was calm and let others take charge, while Kazuo was easily angered, and always in control of every mission, he was the first born after all.

"I made sure our voices were disguised as Hatake Kakashi's own voice—his own thoughts, but somehow he was able to hear us and differentiate his thoughts against ours," Jirou replied as if it were no big deal. It was second nature to him to act so unemotionally even though he was really upset. "We did everything accordingly."

"If we did everything accordingly, then why was he able to get rid of us!?" Kazuo demanded to know as he waved his hand with rage. "Why did he attack himself instead of his students!?"

When Jirou shrugged, Kazuo wanted to strangle him.

"I might have an answer," the young man called out from his spot.

The tension between the two brothers slowly disappeared as they turned to look at the third member, Ryuu. He still sat crossed leg on the ground, and he waited a good minute before continuing.

"Well, it's only a _small_ theory," he added with an innocent smile.

The twin brothers were getting impatient with the young boy. Unlike the brothers, Ryuu was unpredictable in his actions. He could be calm one moment, angered the next. He could be an ally one second and then an enemy the next. The brothers didn't like to work with someone they didn't know, nor couldn't control. But they had no choice. Without Ryuu's special abilities, their minds wouldn't have been able to travel into the past.

"You see, Hatake Kakashi has a special bond with his students. He's known them for years. He has trained them not just physically, but also mentally. He taught them that they couldn't survive without friends or family. Therefore, he'd never hurt his own friends. He'd rather kill himself than his friends," Ryuu paused for a brief second to let the twins register what he said so far. "Which is why _we_ failed—_we_ were approaching Hatake Kakashi the wrong way. _We_ were telling him to kill his only family, which he would never." Ryuu smiled smugly once he finished.

"Then how do _you_ suppose we go about making Hatake Kakashi kill them!?" Kazuo snarled. He didn't miss that accusation in the young man's tone. By _we_, he had meant _you and your brother_. He was blaming them for the failure.

"We don't," Ryuu replied, smile widening.

"We don't?" Jirou questioned with confusion. Unlike his brother, he didn't blame Ryuu for thinking it was their fault. Ryuu had simply guided them into the past mind of Hatake Kakashi. It was Jirou and his brother that had done most of the talking.

"No we don't. You see, he already is aware that _someone_ was in his mind. If we try to enter his mind while he sleeps again, he will know that _he_ is the one being attacked. And then he will go and investigate, and who knows, maybe he'll find out the source of his nightmares. Then we'd be toast and Danzou-sama won't ever be in power. Not in this generation, or the next, or the one following after that. He'll continue to be stuck in that ice cube until—"

"Stop babbling and just tell us—"

"I propose," Ryuu cut in sharply and Kazuo huffed, angered he was interrupted. "We move onto a different subject—someone weaker and easier to manipulate. Someone who is naïve enough to believe their _dreams_."

"Hmmm…Yes, I see what you mean," Jirou agreed with an approving nod.

"The demon vessel then! That Hokage of ours was such an idiot when he was a kid, and he believes anything someone tells him!" Kazuo walked back to Ryuu and took a seat in front of him.

"Well, his famous phrase is 'Believe it,'" Jirou offered, also sitting down. "Maybe he'll fall for it easier, after all, if a demon could manipulate him, how hard could it be for us?"

"No, actually I wasn't thinking about Uzumaki Naruto," Ryuu said with knitted eyebrows. "I was thinking more in the lines of the medic—Haruno Sakura."

The twins laughed, amused by the notion. "That little thing can't last one minute fighting with the other three!" Kazuo balled, still laughing.

"Back then she couldn't, now she's just as strong," Jiruo corrected his brother's remark. His laughter had died out the second it started. "But you are correct, she wouldn't be able to fight any of them at an equal level."

"The demon vessel it is then!" Kazuo said in a tone that stated the topic was no longer up for discussion.

With an annoyed look, Ryuu took hold of their hands. He was certain Uzumaki Naruto would fend them off just as his teacher, but once the twins make up their minds, there was no going back. He closed his eyes and started to mumble incoherent words.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi sat on a nearby branch and pretended to be engrossed in his book, but was secretly watching his students train.

"Naruto-kun! Stop holding back!" Sakura demanded, frustrated by her two teammates. Neither of them would fight her with their full strength.

"Ah, but Sakura-chan, I don't want to hurt you because if I do, then you're going to hurt me back!" Naruto argued, dodging her punches. "And then Hinata-chan will get worried because I'll be all bruised!"

"Baka! We ARE training! I always heal you afterwards!" Naruto gave her a sheepish grin and ran out of her way. She turned her attention to the coal-eyed man who stood a couple yards away. "And what's your excuse, Sasuke-kun!?" she growled, running after him.

"I'm already fighting you at your level."

She clenched her teeth and turned to where Kakashi was sitting. "Kakashi-sensei! I'm done with these fools!" she huffed, stomping her right foot. "I want to fight with you instead, seeing that you are the _only_ one who treats me like a _ninja_ and not a _little girl_," she said through clenched teeth. Throwing the two young boys a dirty look over her shoulder, she walked to Kakashi.

The boys grinned and started attacking each other.

Kakashi smirked underneath his mask. They were never going to change. The two boys will always pick on her, she will always crush on one of them, they will always train together, she will always demand for equality, they will always beat each other to a bloody pulp, and she will always demand that he train her more.

They were still just kids—no way near to being traitors! Such an idea he couldn't believe he dreamt of last night. Yes, they were just kids, friends, ninjas, family...

It had been a dream and nothing more. Going after so many dangerous people and killing two-thirds of them, your subconscious was bound to make up such things. And since it was only once, then it was nothing.

His smirk turned into a pleasant smile. He pocketed his book and jumped onto the ground. "Gotta catch me first!" he called out to her as he started to sprint away.

"Kaskashi-sensei! You're just as bad as them!" she yelled after him.

Yeah, everything was fine now. Everything was back to normal. He felt a wave of relief come over him as he ran across the field.

No harm will ever come to his students, not while he was still breathing.

* * *

The moment Uzumaki Naruto's head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

He found himself hovering over a bleeding Uchiha Sasuke with a hole in his abdomen. "Sasuke-teme...what happened?"

"Come on teme, wake up! It's not funny. I bet Sakura is behind all of this...she's still mad about the training earlier, isn't she?" he chuckled nervously. He bent downward and extended his hand to shake him.

His cerulean eyes widened with shock as he saw his Rasengan activated in his right hand. "NO!" he yelled in anguish and his legs dropped him. "I couldn't have..." He knelt beside his best friend and tears sprung out of his eyes once he noticed the others.

His other two victims were lying two yards apart, each with a hole the size of his fist in their stomach.

And then Kyuubi was awakened.

_"There is room for only two minds in this body. Uzumaki's and mine. Leave now!"_

-

-

_To be continued..._

* * *

Hey readers!  
So the first chapter of a hopefully successful story has been posted!

I made sure to add just _enough_ detail, so you're aren't confused about the three people and who they are...without giving too much of the plot/detail away.  
Sasuke's version in _Sleepless Nights_ will actually be longer and more detailed in this story. And he will have more interactions with Sakura then he did in _Sleepless Nights_ while he was the one targeted by Danzou's men.

Please drop a review with your thoughts, they'll be helpful with continuing the story.

Thank you for reading!  
DeeDee


	2. Naruto

_How do you expect to protect your friends when you have no idea they are in danger?_

Uzumaki Naruto was to remain oblivious to any foul play in this wicked plot.

* * *

**Killer Nightmares**

_By DreamDevourer_

Chapter Two  
_To kill a rival_

Uzumaki Naruto entered his small apartment with a small smile on his face. His day had gone pretty well. He had won the training battle with Sasuke in the morning, had finished his ninja duties by the time afternoon rolled in, and had spent the rest of his evening with Hinata. He would have spent most of his night with her too, if her father hadn't sent a Hyuuga guard to fetch her.

He slightly grinned at himself. Someday, someday very soon, her father would approve of him. Who wouldn't approve of a Hokage?

He removed his black shirt while recalling the night when he had asked Hinata out for dinner, in which he had taken her to a ramen stand.

It was one year ago.

That year, everyone was still trying to recuperate from the war with Akatsuki. He had finished rebuilding a house that belonged to a family of eight when he caught sight of Hinata walking home from the hospital.

The first thing she had said to him was, "Sakura-chan is still working, I don't think she'll be finished until midnight." She had twirled a strand of hair around her finger, his presence always made her nervous.

Naruto had given her a sheepish grin and told her that he wasn't looking for Sakura, nor anyone else for that matter. "I just thought I'd walk you home, Hinata-chan, seeing that it is late."

Hinata had taken his offer the wrong way. "I'm not as weak as I used to be, I can defend myself just as well as you can," she had responded, proud of herself that she had not stuttered once as well as angry at him for his opinion of her. Will he always find her to be a weakling? A nuisance? A little girl?

Naruto had laughed then, which finally caused Hinata to raise her head and look at him. "Since that day you fought Neji at the genin competition, I thought you were one of the strongest girls I had met back then."

Hinata had blushed at the compliment. So he had paid attention to her even at that time? She was slightly pleased.

"Now, come on, let me walk home with you," he said, his laughter had died out, but his expression showed that he was still in a good mood.

She had nodded, and her legs wobbled—ready to drop her—the moment he placed his arm over her shoulders, and had pulled her body close to his. He smiled that boyish smile as he led her away from the hospital.

Halfway to her house, his stomach had grumbled and he had laughed awkwardly. "Say, Hinata-chan, lets go eat first. I know the perfect place!"

She had agreed again, and to her surprise, she hadn't fainted. He had indirectly asked her to dinner.

And then the outings became a ritual. He would finish repairing another home, and she would continue helping Sakura at the hospital. Then he would pick her up and take her to dinner. Though her stomach couldn't take another bowl of ramen, she didn't complain. He had finally begun to show interest in her.

With a small content smile, Naruto removed his headband and placed it next to the Team 7 photograph. He discarded his pants and flopped onto his bed with only boxers on. The last thought in his mind before he ventured into sleep was, "I should clean my room sometime soon."

* * *

He felt weird as he opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of the training grounds. _Wow_, he thought, _the night went by fast_. _I can't even remember waking up and coming here. _

He spotted Sasuke and Kakashi training and ran towards them. "Yo! Don't start without me!" he yelled out, smiling. The two men continued to fight as if he wasn't even there.

"Hello…" he said, waving his hand at them. He was standing a yard away from them, and yet they weren't paying him any mind. "Tsk, fine," he scoffed. "I get it, I'll just wait until you two are done, and then I'll beat both of you up!" He turned away from them, pissed at the fact that they still wouldn't acknowledge his presence.

Naruto walked to a tree, flopped down the on the ground, and leaned his back against the large tree trunk.

"_He favors the Uchiha more…"_

"_Ever since he joined the team, he was always favored over you."_

"_Uchiha Sasuke was and will always be the best! You will never be liked, you will always be picked last, you will always be left alone!" _

Naruto hit his head lightly, and laughed at himself for thinking that. He used to be jealous of Sasuke—everyone did like him...especially the girls—but that was nearly five years ago. He was a grown eighteen year-old who didn't care much about who was liked best anymore. Besides, he was just as strong as the Uchiha, if not stronger. He has sage powers now, not to mention the Kyuubi, and his own ninja techniques that could beat the Uchiha any day.

But if he weren't so jealous, then why was he trying to reason with himself? Why was he trying to talk himself out of being jealous? And why was he glaring at the duo that were training.

"_Look at them…they look like father and son."_

"_He never looked at you so fondly, he never praised your efforts as much as he praised the Uchiha's."_

"_The Uchiha doesn't deserve a family! He doesn't deserve to have the friends he has! You deserve all the praise, all the glory, all the respect, not him!"_

I do deserve praise, don't I? After all, I did kill Pain. I did stop Akatsuki, and what did he do? He simply went and got his revenge on the elders. He always only sought to make himself happy, but I never thought of myself! I always thought of the people around me! I always made sure everyone was happy and safe!

Naruto frowned, uncertain as to where those thoughts came from. Certainly not from his own mind. He was content with the fact that Sasuke was able to avenge his family and his brother. He was happy that Sasuke was able to stop Danzou because he was as great a threat as Akatsuki was.

If he was so happy with Sasuke's accomplishments, then why were his fists clenched? Why was he feeling angry with his best friend?

"_Even as a missing nin, people still loved him more than you…"_

"_People still thought he would save them from the war with Akatsuki."_

"_Even though he was miles away, they believed in him! No one counted on you! You, who went away to get stronger for their sakes, were never sought for! No one prayed for you to come! No one needed you!" _

Naruto let out a small growl. It _wasn't_ true, _none _of that was true. Everyone was happy that Naruto came and saved them, everyone rooted for him to win. And everyone cheered for him when Pain was defeated.

_The people of Konoha trust me now, they look up to me_, Naruto thought, trying to calm his nerves.

Kakashi and Sasuke stopped fighting and turned their heads to Naruto.

"What is the dweeb doing here?" the raven-haired man questioned as he threw Naruto a disgusted look.

"Seems like he still doesn't get it," Kakashi said with an annoyed look. "You are no longer useful to Konoha, demon vessel, so leave."

Naruto stood up and narrowed his blue eyes at his teammates. Since when was he refereed to as _demon vessel?_ "What is going on?" he questioned himself while keeping a cautious eye on the duo. "Guys, if you're pulling a prank on me…well, HAHA, okay I get it, jokes on me, but seriously it isn't that funny. And why are you two looking so serious? Where is Sakura-chan?" With each word spoken, the two men walked towards him, and Naruto took hesitant steps backwards.

"_It is as they said, you are no longer useful to Konoha…"_

"_You risked your life for them, and they only think of you as a weapon."_

"_Are you going to stand there and let them run you out of your own village!? Who are they to tell you that you don't belong here__—__in your own village!? Remind them who exactly defeated Akatsuki! Remind them who is the strongest!"_

Naruto's hands balled into tight fists and quickly got into a fighting stance when the other two men advanced towards him. He didn't fight them, only dodged every attack. "This is crazy! Stop it, both of you! Have you gone mad!?" he shouted, anger rising.

"_Remind them who you are…"_

"_Remind them what you are capable of."_

"_Show them just how powerful you really are! Make them respect you! Only from fear can you earn respect!"_

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, damn it! This is my village! I will not be thrown out by the likes of you!" Dark rings appeared around his eyes and his nails grew, his teeth turned into fangs, and he readied himself in a animal-like position, ready to prance on his enemies.

"_You are stronger…"_

"I am stronger," Naruto repeated his thoughts as he attacked his sensei.

"_You will be respected and feared."_

"I will be respected and feared," ten Naruto clones said in union.

"_You will kill anyone who tells you that this village is not your home! You will kill anyone who uses you like a dog! You will kill anyone who keeps you from becoming the Hokage!"_

"I will kill anyone who tells me that this village is not my home! I will kill anyone who uses me like a dog! I will kill anyone who keeps me from becoming the Hokage!" What was going on? Why was he so fired up and bent on killing his teammates? Was this just a nightmare? Could he still be sleeping? But it all seemed too real, the pain from their attacks was just like any real attack.

Naruto was breathing heavily as he stared at the two bodies on the ground.

"_Here is your chance to prove to them who is the strongest…"_

"_Here is your chance to get the respect you need."_

"_What are you waiting for!? Just kill them while they are still down! Kill the two who dared to tell you that you don't belong here! Kill them now! _

That anger that was roaming through his head couldn't be his.

He would never get so infuriated over power…over strength…over proving someone his worth. And yet here he was, standing over his two teammates—one of the few teachers who bothered to give him a second chance, and his best friend—with a scary instinct to kill them.

His mind was restless, telling him over and over to kill them. Kill the ones that mean nothing to him, the ones that keep holding him back

But that was just the thing, they meant the world to him and they never held him back.

He unconsciously staggered closer to them with two katanas in his hands. _What am I doing? _he thought _I can't do this…someone help me! _He raised the two swords above the limp bodies and held his breath. And then a name floated into his head, Jiraiya. What would his deceased sensei do in a position such as this?

_He would never __hurt his friends, _Naruto thought, already feeling his body turn ice cold as he prepared to stab the two bodies at the same time. _He would never kill his friends_—_his teammates_—_over selfish acts. He would never let power elude his better judgment. And I will never let it either! I will never hurt the people I love…_

His grip on the handles tightened as he swung the swords. "I would never hurt them!" he promised himself and whomever else was there to hear him as he fell to the ground. Blood dripped from his mouth onto the grass as a small smile appeared on his pale face.

Naruto waited for his heart to stop beating, for him to finally die, but it never came. Instead, he only felt more pain. It wasn't due to the katanas impaled in his chest but because of the anguish screaming in his head. Someone was there—in his mind. Someone had been there all this time. He tried to move his body, but couldn't. His teammates were no longer laying beside him. It was just him, laying on the grass covered with blood.

_Get out of my head_, Naruto thought, suddenly finding himself tired of speaking. The voices didn't leave, instead they continued to shout louder. Something must have displeased them. _Get out of my head, _Naruto demanded again as blackness started to surround him.

"_Now you will see your mistake…"_

"_You had the chance to change things, to make things right."_

"_Look at the future you just made!"_

His world spun round and round and he felt like throwing up. What was only mere seconds, seemed like hours, and Naruto found himself standing in the Hokage office.

The Hokage chair was already taken, but it wasn't by the blonde woman he grew to care about. No, it was by a crimson-eyed young man. He wore the white Hokage robes, excluding the hat, but the symbol on the robes was not that of Konoha, but that of the Uchiha clan.

Naruto found this to be the most amusing thing ever, and to prove that, he started to laugh until tears sprung from his eyes. "Now I know I must be dreaming!" he said in the midst of his laughter. "Sasuke-teme—the Hokage!? Yeah, right!"

His appearance was quickly noticed by the last remaining Uchiha, and Naruto found himself unable to move.

"_Such dangerous eyes those of an Uchiha…"_

"_The only eyes that can control you."_

"_And he will continue to control you because you failed to kill your rival!"_

If he was able to, Naruto would have punched his friend in the face for daring to think he could control him. But his thoughts proved to be correct, those eyes were dangerous. They beckoned him forward, and he walked steadily toward the Sharingan user. He unwillingly picked up a shuriken that was standing on its tip on the desk.

Naruto's eyes narrowed with confusion as a small grin appeared on his friend's lips. "Kill him," those two words brought a dreadful feeling to Naruto.

He found himself turning around and there was a chair he didn't see before. Tied to that chair was a male's body, whose head was in a black sack. And although he tried to fool himself into believing otherwise—he knew who that man tied to the chair was. The robes alone were a dead giveaway.

"Kill him," Sasuke ordered once more, now standing in front of Naruto, the body in the chair acting as a wall between them.

Naruto couldn't look away from those haunting red eyes as he raised the shuriken. He wanted to stop, there was no way he would kill Gaara. He was a Kazekage for crying out loud! Killing him would start a war with Sand, and not only that, he was his friend!

"What is the meaning of this!?" Naruto demanded to know but no words came out of his mouth.

"_Kill him_," he repeated for the last time and when Naruto finally was able to look away from his eyes, he found the shuriken embedded in the heart of the Kazekage. He stumbled backwards, shocked.

"Wh-what hav-have I done?" His back finally hit the wall and he slid down to the floor. His eyes never left the dead body…and the puddle of blood around the chair. "Oh, God, no…no…"

"Hatake, prepare for war."

Cerulean eyes moved to the new figure in the room. _Kakashi-sensei was here all this time and didn't do anything to stop me__—__to stop Sasuke? _Naruto was baffled. And the idea of war…

"_The Uchiha will blame the war on you…"_

"_Afterall, you were the one who killed the Kazekage."_

"_No one will believe that you were forced to kill him! And there is no one else to blame but yourself! If you had killed the Uchiha when you had the chance, this wouldn't have happened!"_

"Everyone will blame me," Naruto muttered, suddenly afraid. "Everyone will hate me just as they did when I was younger." Unconsciously, he rose to his feet and walked to the window.

"_The Uchiha's revenge was never meant to end with the elders…"_

"_No, he blamed the entire village. He finally has the power to make them pay."_

"_Look at how he treated your village__—__you could have prevented this! You could have become Hokage and kept everyone safe!"_

Naruto's knuckles turned white as he finally looked away from the village. His insides boiled in anger, rage. The houses were burned down, the people were out on the streets looking for something to quench their hunger, kids were dressed in rags…everything was destroyed.

"_Do you know who they blame?"_

"_Only a powerful force could have brought such a destruction to this nation."_

"_But don't think you did it freely, oh no, one word from the Uchiha, and you were out doing his dirty work! Like some savage animal!"_

It hit him then, that he did this. An Uchiha had controlled Kyuubi long ago, and now an Uchiha was controlling Kyuubi again—no, not just Kyuubi, but Naruto himself. His best friend was using him for his own vengeful plot.

His anger ignited once again.

When he turned around to face his _enemy_, he saw another disturbing scene.

"Sakura-chan…" he gasped. He tried to run to her aid, but found himself glued to his spot. His other option was to close his eyes and not watch what was happening, but that, too, he couldn't.

Sasuke struck her again and she fell onto the floor. She wiped the blood from her lips and slowly stood up.

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun, I still love you," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her lips against his.

Naruto wanted to—he wanted to…_kill_.

His thoughts continued to taunt him about how no matter what, she would always pick Sasuke over him. That even if he abused her over and over, she would always go back into his arms. That a cruel, unforgiving Uchiha was better to love than a demon vessel like him. Nobody loved him, nobody needed him. Everyone was blaming him for the destruction of Konoha, and Sasuke was simply_ trying_ to restore order.

And it wasn't the fact that he was being used by Sasuke that arose his killing instinct, but the fact that he was hurting her!

She had bruises on her legs and her arms. Her left cheek was swollen and she just took another blow to her head. Even after being abused by him, she told him she loved him and kissed him. The scene before him kept on repeating over and over until she finally couldn't stand back up on her feet.

"_If you had killed him, she could have been safe…"_

"_She could have been yours."_

"_If you had killed him, you would have been Hokage! Your village would have been safe!"_

That was the final draw—she was the final reason for him to kill.

Whatever control he had over his murderous impulses vanished altogether.

He was back on the training field and he attacked without a thought. He was going to save Sasuke for last. First Kakashi had to be dealt with. Kakashi _should_ have stopped Sasuke from becoming Hokage. Kakashi _should_ have stopped Sasuke from controlling Kyuubi—from controlling him.

Kakashi said nothing to him as they fought to the death. Naruto was aware that Kakashi used only one move throughout the fight, along with simple combat moves, but he didn't question it. He was content with himself when Kakashi fell to the ground, dead.

The next to fight him was Sakura, whom he didn't want to fight but the moment his thoughts taunted him of how she would always go back to Sasuke, that she would never love a beast like him, he fought back. How she would ever love a man like Sasuke, he will never know, nor did he care anymore. He would end her pain even if that meant ending her life.

Ever so slowly, Uchiha Sasuke walked towards him with a smirk on his face.

"You plan on _controlling_ me…?" Naruto repeated his thoughts with fury. The Sharingan user simply nodded. "You plan on _destroying_ what's left of my village?" Another nod. "I'm going to kill _you_!"

It was all too easy, but he never questioned how it happened. He never questioned how his best friend barely fought against him; instead, he simply allowed him to put a hole through his stomach.

Naruto's body was frozen stiff, somehow he didn't feel any relief from what he had done nor did he feel any regret. He wasn't angry or happy. He didn't feel guilty or any of those feelings a person who just killed his best friends should feel.

What he did feel was _lost_.

He felt as if all this time he was in a trance. That all this time he wasn't in control of his body or his mind. In the back of his mind he felt something stirring awake and it finally hit him—this _had_ to be a joke.

Because it certainly didn't look real. The trees were fake because he felt no essence from them, the sky was the wrong color. There was never a red sky, and the moon was up when it was the middle of the day.

He closed his eyes and reopened them to see if the world was back to normal. And he never felt more relieved at the fact that it _wasn't_ normal because the scene before him frightened him.

He found himself hovering over a bleeding Uchiha Sasuke with a hole in his abdomen. "Sasuke-teme...what happened?" He tried to recall this event, tried to think when this happened but his mind was blank of anything after him falling asleep in his bed.

So he concluded that it was a joke…it had to be…maybe it was a genjutsu.

"Come on teme, wake up! It's not funny. I bet Sakura-chan is behind all of this...she's still mad about the training earlier, isn't she?" he chuckled nervously. He bent downward and extended his hand to shake him.

His cerulean eyes widened with shock as he saw his Rasengan activated in his right hand. "NO!" he yelled in anguish and his legs dropped him. "I couldn't have..." He knelt beside his best friend and tears sprung out of his eyes once he noticed the others. How could he have done this, and not remember any of it?

His other two victims were lying two yards apart, each with a hole the size of his fist in their stomach. His head wanted to explode.

And then Kyuubi was awakened.

_"There is room for only two minds in this body. Uzumaki's and mine. Leave now!"_

"So it was your presence that has ruined my mirage!?" Kazuo was furious at the fact that they had been interrupted when the demon vessel was nearly ready to _really_ kill them.

A sadistic grin was formed by the demon as he stared at the three figures before him. Their faces weren't visible and they were see-through. It was only because of the blue chakra wrapped around their bodies that he was able to see their outline. "Who do you think you are—invading my home?"

Before any of the three could answer, Kyuubi went on to ask more questions. "Did you think that I wouldn't notice? Did you think I would allow you to harm this boy? What is your purpose here? And why fill the boy's head with such images?"

"You knew we were here all this time?" Jirou asked, a bit amused that the demon would have allowed them to torment the boy as long as they did.

The scarlet-colored demon laughed its appeasing laugh and the walls around him shook. "You think I'm stupid? I sensed you were in here the moment Uzumaki closed his eyes."

"I see…then why did you allow us to remain in his mind for so long?" Jirou inquired as he kept his eyes on the lock and from the looks of it, they were safe from his clutches.

"It was amusing to see how you would try to break his spirits," Kyuubi replied as he played with the lock. "Don't feel so secure…all I have to do is alert the boy and you are all done for."

Ryuu was fascinated by the demon in front of him. He never imagined being in the presence of the nine-tailed fox, and it certainly was alarming. The demon released so much power around him that it was hard for Ryuu to maintain the connection between his time and Uzumaki Naruto's time.

"So what are you waiting for?" Ryuu asked the demon as he took a step forward, suddenly wanting to be closer to this awe-inspiring power. "Why aren't you alerting the boy?" He didn't understand how such power was able to be contained in the mind of that boy, just being in the demon's presence was about to bring him down to his knees and he wasn't even physically there! He held the boy to high regards now; to have to carry this overwhelming burden around for all these years must be tiring and yet the boy never complained nor did he lose his way. Naruto has kept the demon under control all this time and never has let the demon's influence control his thoughts.

The demon laughed, highly amused as he recalled the images these three figures had placed into Naruto's head. "I liked your plan," he mused.

"How do you know of our plan!?" Kazuo demanded to know. They messed up, their hard work was all for nothing. The demon vessel would come looking for them soon.

"I know that you are trying to kill Uzumaki's team, for what reason I do not know for certain though I do have my assumptions…but watching the Uchiha bleed—ah what a _sight_!"

"You want the Uchiha dead?" Ryuu quickly asked, a small plan already forming in his head.

"Dead!? Not just dead! I want those eyes of his to be plucked out! Those eyes—no man should have such power! To be able to control a demon—to be able to control me is a power no mortal or immortal should have!" he growled, steam flying out of his nose.

Just as Ryuu, Jirou also understood the significance of the hatred the demon had for the Sharingan user. "And say that we do kill him—"

"If _you_ kill him? You weaklings actually think you can…" Another laughter erupted from the fowl demon. "Those Uchihas don't die so easilyespecially this last_ one_," he said with disgust.

"You think we are not capable of killing him!?" Kazuo was outraged at the fact that they were called weaklings by a demon who himself was trapped in a cage.

"Only in illusions and dreams are you able to kill that rival of mine," the demon said in mockery. "In life, you can't do anything…because if you could, then you wouldn't waste your time venturing into this boy's mind; instead, you would be out there right now fighting him…" he chuckled hoarsely "_Unless_…"

Ryuu quickly returned to his position between the twin brothers. The tone the demon used…he _knows_.

"Oh, I see it all so clearly now."

Yes, he knew. He might not know who exactly they were or what their actual plan was, but he still knew enough to tarnish their plan.

"You cannot touch them…_can you now_? You aren't from this time, oh how fascinating!" The cage rattled from his new found amusement. "And here I thought the clan that used mind-time traveling were all dead! Oh, let me guess which one of you is the last remaining of the Maindo Ryokou clan…let's see…"

Ryuu was dumbfounded. He had never heard of a clan by that name, nor had he ever known of anyone else wielding the power he did. He made a mental note to look further into that once he was back into his own body.

"How does it feel to be the last of your kind?" Kyuubi asked, pointing his claw at the smoky figure.

"I don't know what you are talking about, I do not belong to any clan. My parents are street vendors not shinobi ninjas," Ryuu replied. It was a lie, his parents weren't street vendors, he was told they were by his team leaders, but he investigated and found out that his _real_ parents were killed a long time ago. Danzou had a way of recruiting soldiers without ties to any family. He wasn't going to let the twins know of his questionable feelings towards Danzou.

"Don't try to fool me, boy. Only two clans have ever been able to see me inside a vessel. The cursed Uchihas and the old Maindo Ryokou. Though I must say, I don't know how you survived…that clan has been gone for decades…or have your kind been in hiding all this time?"

_My kind in hiding? _Ryuu thought, uncertain if he should believe the demon. _Could there possibly be a clan…one that I belong to?_

"I understand why you guys would be hiding. It hasn't been safe for powerful clans in this time. I mean, look at the Uchihas. Hate them I do and I could careless that they are _almost_ extinct, but they were betrayed by the very village they gave their lives to protect. And I can very much imagine that your clan was lost in the same way—"

"Enough!" Jirou demanded.

Ryuu narrowed his eyes at the twin that never lost his temper. Jirou must have felt threatened somehow for him to shout like that. _He knows something about this…there is some truth in what the demon says…that means what I'm doing now isn't as justifiable as it was in the beginning, _he thought, bewildered at the fact that he _may_ be on the wrong side. Though he wasn't going to get too carried away by the thought. He fought for what he knew, and all he knew right now was that Team 7 was standing in the way of a better and stronger future for Konoha.

Kyuubi simply grinned and kept his gaze glued to the middle figure. _So this team isn't as stable as I presumed…no…their plan will fail, whatever it is. But maybe I can get something out of it_, he thought, his grin widening at his last thought. _The death of the last Uchiha. _

"Okay, this has quickly gotten boring, I think it's time I wake up this child," he stated as he closed his eyes.

"Wait, wait for a moment," Jirou pleaded. There was no way that their plan would be ruined by the demon. They were obligated to destroying Team 7 and then they had to help bring Danzou back into power. They couldn't fail now.

"Yes?" the demon snarled, hiding his amusement.

"If we do kill the Uchiha, then you _won't_ tell Uzumaki Naruto of our presence?"

"Hmmm…" he taped his claws on the metal cage for a good minute as if he was thinking it over. "If you, by some chance, are able to kill the brat, then I shall forget this encounter."

"Alright, and how long will you be giving us?" Jirou inquired.

"Well, seeing how easily you failed with Uzumaki—"

"We wouldn't have failed if you hadn't disrupted us!" Kazuo grumbled.

Kyuubi growled warningly. "As I was saying, seeing how easily you failed, I'm willing to give you four months and not a second beyond that last night."

Kazuo laughed while remarking, "Four months? You really underestimate our power."

"No, it seems that you are surely underestimating this infuriating team's power—Team Seven seems to have some unknown force on their side."

"Unknown force?" Jirou questioned while skimming through his own thoughts, trying to find out what special technique Team 7 had developed over the years, but he found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Yes, somehow they always end up back together…some force binds them together…" Kyuubi was finally getting bored of this chit-chat. He yawned but it came out more of a growl.

By the looks of it, Jirou understood that they have overstayed their welcome. "Take us back—"

"Wait," Kyuubi demanded in a low hushed tone. "I said I want the Uchiha dead—"

"Yes, we understand that, we'll kill him!" Kazuo cut in, slightly annoyed by the demon and its demands. No where in his orders was he told that he had to listen to a demon, much less kill his enemies for him, but he knew he had no choice, which was what bugged him. Having a demon telling him how long he has…giving demands…ugh, it made him furious!

"No, I don't think you understand. I said I want the _Uchiha_ dead, and only the Uchiha, which means that Uzumaki is not to be harmed. And if I sense that you are indeed going to harm my vessel then it is all over."

"It seems you have taken a liking to the boy. Demons usually don't care about their vessels," Jirou remarked, highly amused that a demon could actually feel something for someone other than itself.

"You mistaken me greatly," he said through clenched teeth. "If the vessel dies, then the demon is trapped in that body forever. And I'm not a fool to let such a powerful vessel to be harmed. You have been warned, now LEAVE!"

Fire erupted out of the cage and not waiting another second, Ryuu pulled them out of the mind of Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto mumbled something in his sleep but did not stir awake. He continued to snore as if nothing happened.

Kyuubi would make sure the young man didn't remember any part of this night.

At least for now.

Once his rival was killed, then those three would be next.

He chuckled lowly as he closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

"Four months!? Who does he think he is bossing us around!?" Kazuo shouted as he left the group.

"I warned you—I said we needed a weaker mind. If the demon hadn't sensed us this first time, he surely would have sensed us later on," Ryuu remarked as he stood up. It had been a long day and he needed some rest. And not just rest, but answers as well.

"Then lets discuss what we have learned from the two subjects," Jirou said, watching the young boy carefully. He wasn't a fool, he knew that Ryuu would go out and look for answers. He inwardly cursed that big-mouthed demon. "Okay, so Hatake Kakashi was able to fend us off because, as you said Ryuu, he has a special bond with his students. He'd rather kill himself then harm his teammates, possibly because of his past incidents with his own genin teammates."

Ryuu simply shrugged, he was in no mood to discuss any of this. He wanted to know more about the Maindo Ryokou clan, and maybe even the_ true_ reason for the Uchiha massacre. If he knew what _exactly_ opted for the killing of the Uchiha clan, then maybe he could learn more about the disappearance of the Maindo Ryokou clan.

"Now, Uzumaki Naruto still fought us off until the very end— "

"It was that demon's fault for our failure!" Kazuo cut in, still mad. He glared icy daggers at his twin brother. He needed to punch something...his anger was rising by the second. He wasn't keen to failure, especially not twice in a row.

"No, not entirely, at least not in the beginning. Kyuubi left us alone until the end, but in the beginning, Uzumaki still fought us off. He did believe they were his thoughts, so that's good, but he still didn't trust them. He didn't trust himself into believing that he had reason to kill them. He wasn't affected by jealously nor power," Jirou paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.

"It was the girl," Ryuu said a minute later, deciding to finish this fast so he could have time to think of his own problems.

"What about the fucking girl? She didn't do anything! It was the Uchiha against Uzumaki…rivalry was what finally got to him!"

"Idiot, it wasn't rivalry for power or any of that nonsense," Ryuu finally had it with the twins. One was definitely keeping secrets from him while the other was plain oblivious to the most obvious facts. "It was when he saw the girl all bruised that he finally acted—of course you were too busy trying to fill his head with murderous intent instead of watching how he reacted when he saw the interactions between the Uchiha and the medic."

"What does it all mean?" Jirou asked while giving his brother a cautious look. The last thing he wanted to do was to anger Ryuu. They needed his skill and it was pointless into forcing him to helping them. No, he had to freely help them.

"It means that none of them—even though we haven't yet tested the last two—believe that their teammates would become traitors in anyway. So we can't use that illusion anymore. Nor do they really believe that any of them would harm their village, so that idea has also failed us. Hatake felt certain that the Uchiha wouldn't use the Kyuubi to his advantage, and even Uzumaki didn't quite fall for that trap. Which leaves us with the girl…the one that seems to be weak and yet has the greatest power of all three of them."

"And what might that power be?" Kazuo scoffed.

"She is the one that relates to all three of them. She is like a daughter to Hatake, even in our time, she is Uzumaki's best friend, past and present, and last, she is the Uchiha's lover in our time, which could only mean he had some feelings for her years earlier. So place images of her getting hurt then the subject will certainly kill whomever dared to touch her. And in our case, placing images of her getting hurt at the hands of her friends, then the subject will definitely kill them."

"So that leaves us with Uchiha Sasuke," Jirou sighed, not happy that already two of the subjects had failed. What if the Uchiha failed? All they would have left is the medic...the useless medic.

Ryuu shrugged and walked to the door. He could have told them what a better plan would be, but didn't bother with it.

"Where are you going!?" Kazuo huffed as he sat next to his brother, already prepared for another mind invasion.

"To rest. Unlike you two, I have used up my chakra," he replied and didn't wait for a reply from the twins. It was a lie of course. He still had enough for one more travel, but he didn't want to go back until he had some questions answered. Tomorrow he planned on sneaking into the Hokage tower to take a look at the old scrolls, and for tonight he was going to question the minds of Hatake and Uzumaki. It took a lot of power to get them to hurt one another and it must be because of that _unknown force_ the demon mentioned.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke wanted to _kill_.

To kill her and him.

Both.

How dare they sneak behind his back?

_To be continued_

* * *

Hey readers!  
Um..I did make up the clan known as Maindo Ryokou (Mind travel)...it wasn't something I planned on doing at the beginning when I first wrote this, but I thought that Ryuu deserved some family background which will better help him decide whose side he should be on.

Thank you for reading!  
DeeDee


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